UK's new settlement rules explained: how long you will now wait for ILR

The UK has confirmed a major overhaul of how migrants qualify for permanent residency. Here is what the new "earned settlement" system means, based on the Home Office's announcement on November 2.

What is settlement?

Settlement, or indefinite leave to remain (ILR), gives you the right to live, work and study in the UK permanently, without time limits on your visa. It is usually required before you can apply for British citizenship.

How long will I have to wait?

Instead of a standard five years for most work routes, the time now depends on your circumstances.

Route	Who it is for	Main earnings condition
3 years	Exceptional economic contributors	Earning at least £125,141 a year for three years, or on the UK's highest talent schemes
5 years	Higher earners and some public service workers	Earning at least £50,271 for three of the last five years, or five years in an eligible public service job (such as doctor, nurse or teacher)
10 years	The new standard route	Earning at least £12,571 in five of the previous seven years
20 years	People with immigration breaches, or whose use of public funds blocks a faster route	As for the 10-year route

The government has said those on the ten-year route can keep renewing their temporary visas until they qualify.

What must everyone have?

Whatever your route, the Home Office says you will need:

1. A clean criminal record. The bar is being raised from the current threshold.
2. A high standard of English, described as equivalent to A-level English as a foreign language.
3. No debts owed to the taxpayer.
4. A record of National Insurance contributions, reported as at least three years.

People on the faster three- and five-year routes must also not have claimed public funds in the past five years or committed a qualifying immigration breach.

I'm a care worker. Am I affected?

If you came on the care worker route, met your visa conditions and earned at least £25,000 a year in social care, you keep the existing five-year route.

If your employer did not meet the conditions, which the government says was true for about a quarter of care workers who arrived between 2022 and 2025, you can apply for a new five-year care visa without being tied to your old employer, then apply for settlement after it.

Similar arrangements apply to some healthcare and education workers identified by the government's migration advisers. These concessions apply only to people who joined those routes before the immigration white paper of May 2025.

I'm already in the UK. Does this apply to me?

Generally, yes. The government says settlement rules apply at the time you apply, not when you arrived. The main protections for people already here are the transitional arrangements above.

But the government has also said:

• If you already have ILR, you keep it. It will not be taken away.
• No one will be forced to leave because of these changes.
• Some groups keep their current routes, including family members of British citizens, Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas), members of the armed forces and people on legacy routes such as Windrush.

What about refugees?

Refugees resettled through official schemes can settle after five years. Other refugees face a 20-year route, reduced to ten years if they work or study. Those who arrived by small boat or other irregular means face an additional ten years.

When does this start?

Not yet. The current rules still apply. The changes will begin to be laid in the December Immigration Rules and be introduced during 2027, with detailed guidance to follow. Until then, nothing changes for applications made under the existing rules.

What should I do now?

• Check whether you might qualify under the current five-year rules before the changes take effect.
• Keep records of your earnings, tax and National Insurance contributions.
• If you plan to take an English test, aim for the higher level that will be required.
• Follow official updates on GOV.UK, and for advice on your own situation, speak to a regulated immigration adviser or solicitor. This guide is general information, not legal advice.